Swimming apparatus



mmh'so 1926.

I. J. CROMER SWIMMING APPARATUS Filed Sept. l6 1925 4 mwzzvron W M 7weswATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 30, 19 26.

UNI-T ED sra IRVING J. CROMER-OF KANSAS CITY, ms'souni.

SWIMMING erPARA'rUsQ 7 Application filed. September To all whom it mayconcern:

Beit knownthat IyInvmo rename, a citizen of the. United States," and aresident of Kansas City, .in the county of Jackson and Stateof'Missouri, have invented a certainnew and'useful Improvement inSwimming Apparatus, of which the following is. a specification. i 1

My invention relatesto improvements in swimming apparatus. It relates toan apparatus which has sufiicientbuoyancy tosupport a person, and whichhas means for being propelledb y the persona One of the ob'ects of myinvention is to provide a novel swimming apparatus ofthe icinddescribed, which is simple, cheap, durable, not liable to get out oforder, which is adapted for use by persons of; different height, whichis safe, and which will afford exercise and enjoyment tothe user whileenabling him to learn the art of swimming.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which" illustrates the preferred embodimentof my invention, 7 I Fig. 1 1s a perspective view of my improvedswimming apparatus Fig.- 2 1s a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is anenlarged sectional v ew on the line 33 of F1 2.

'Similar reference characters fdesignat-i I similar. parts in thedifferent views.

A buoyant support is provided, which may comprise a frame consisting oftwospaced apart floats, which may be two boards 1, to which are fastenedat] the inner edges thereof respectively two rearwardly extend ingwooden bars 2, to the inner sides of each i of which are. fastened twodepending vertical bars Two longitudinal bracebars 4 are respectivelyfastenedto the under edges and rear ends of the bars 2, and to the innersides of the adjacent depending bars? A body support comprising ahorizontal transverse board 5,has its ends respectively fastened to theinner sides of the brace bars t in substantial alinement with thetransversemiddle portions of the fioatsl'.

A transversehandheld bar .6 may be fas-. tenedat its ends to the forwardends respectively of the floats 1.

Propelling means for. the a paratus may consist of two propellin wheeis, which are, preferably, paddle whee s 7, which are respectivelyfastened to and rotatable with two lon 16, 1925. Serial in. 56,634. i

transverse alined shafts 8. Two )airs of bearings 9 arerespectivelymounteoo-n the upper sides of the floats-1 andihave respectively'rotatably mounted 'inthem the shafts 8. i 1

For rota'ting'the shafts 8, there are ie spectively secured to, them twobevel gear wheels 10which respectively mesh with two bevel gear wheels11, which are respectively rigidly, secured to. two longitudinal shafts12, which are rotatably mounted adjacent to.

their forward ends in transverse plates 13, which are respectivelyfastened between the pairs of hearings 9; The rear portions ofthe'shafts 12 are respectively rotatable and longitudinally slidable intwo lugs 14; respectively provided on the." outer sides of two bearingmembers 15, which are respectively forwardly and rearwardly adjustably-,fas tened to the rear portions of the bars 2 by bolts 16 which extendthrough slots provided V gitudinally, one in each bar 2 andldesignatedby17. l v I A crank shaft 18 extends transversely through the slots 17 andis, rota tably,mount ed in! the bearing members 15. The crank shaft 18has two oppositely disposed cranks 19, whichare'adaptedto be.respectively enlgaged and turned the feet of the person operating theapparatus. Iltespectively rotatable on the cranks19 are .stirr'ups 2Othrough which the operator inserts his feet Secured rigidly on the endsof the crankshaft 18. are two bevel gear wheels 21, which respectivelymesh with two bevel gear wheels which are respectively splined to theshafts 12 so asto slide thereon and rotate therewith.

The bolts 16 are loosened and the bearing members 15 are then adjustedon the bars 2 to position the: crankshaft 18 to suit the height of theperson. who, isto operate "the apparatus. The bolts '16are thentightened...

' In the operation of the apparatus,the person disposes himself-facedown with -his breast nponthe board 5, his'hands grasping the handhold6, and his feet in thestirrups 20, as-shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.If the operator now with his feet rotates the crank shaft 18. in a clockwisev direction, as. viewed in Fig. 2, the paddle wheels 7 will berotatedin a like direction :byineans of the gearwheels 21 and 22, shafts12, gear wheels 11 and 10 and shafts 8, thereby propellingthe apparatus,and with it the. per-- son, in a forward'direction. Theoperator illreversing the direction of rotation of the crankshaft can propel theapparatus backwardly. I a

The distribution of the weight of the person and the buoyant material issuch that during the operation of the apparatus, and when the personisresting, thefloats will'remain substantially horizontal.

ture shown and described, as modifications, within the scope of'theappended claims,

maybe made-without departing from the spirit of my invention.

, What I claim is p '1. In a swimming apparatus, a buoyant framecomprising two spaced'apart floats, a body support between andconnecting said floats, and two rearwardly extending bars, twopropelling wheels rotatably mounted on said floats respectively, twobearing members respectively forwardly and'rearwardly adjustable on saidbars, a crank shaft rotatably mounted in said bearing members and'l'iaving two "oppositely disposed cranks adapted to 'be V respectivelyengaged and turned by the feet of a person lying on said body support,and means actuated by said shaft for rotating said propelling wheels.

2. Ina. swimming apparatus, a buoyant support adapted to support thebody :of a.

person, two propelling wheels rotatably mounted on said su ort twobearin 'menn bers "forwardly and rearwardly' adjustable on saidsupper-ha transverse shaft rotatably mounted on said bearing members andhaving two oppositely disposed cranksadapted toibe respectively engagedand turned by the feet of the person. two bevel gears secured to androtatable with said shaft, two longitudinal rotary shafts mountedrespectively in said bearingmembers and longitudinally slidable therein,two bevel gears respectively secured to Said longitudinal shafts andadjustable longitudinally thereon and respectively m'eshingwith thefirst named gears, and means actuated by said longitudinal shafts forrespectively rotating said propelling wheels.

3. In a swimmingapparatus, two floats, a body 'supporti'n memberintermediate of and sup iorted,bysaidfloats, two rearwardly extendingbars scc'ured to said floats,- two bearing; members respectivelyforwardly and rea'rwardly" adjustable on said bars, a

transverse shaft rotatable in said bearing members and having twooppositely disposedcranks adapted to beuengaged' and turned by the feetof a person lying on said body supporting member, two propelling wheelsrespectively carried by said floats, and means actuated by said shaftfor rotating said propelling wheels. i

In swimming appa atus, two floats, a

" Ido not limit'my invention to the stru'cv I spectively engaged andturned by the feet of name to this specification.

tively, two bearing ,members respectively forwardly and rearwardlyadjustable on her, a transverse shaft rotatably mounted in said bearingmembers and having two oppositely disposed cranks adapted to be .re-

a person on said body Supporting member, two propeller wheels, havingrespectively two transverse shafts'respectively rotatably said-barsbehind said body supporting mem- Y mounted on said floats, and drivingmeans connecting said'l'ast n'amedshafts with said crank shaft.

In a swimming apparatus, two floats, a

body supporting"member between and sup ported by said floats, tworea'rwardly extending bars respectively carried by said floats, twobearing members respectively forwardly and rearwardly adjustable on saidbars, a transverse crank shaft rotatable in said bearing members andhaving twoopbody supporting member between and sup-l portedfbysaidifloats, two rearwardly ex tending bars. carried bysaidi floatsrespectively, two bear ng members respectively forwardly and rearwardlyad ustable on said bars, a transverse crank shaft rotatable insaidbearing members and having two oppositely disposed cranksadapted tobe engaqed and turned'by the feet of a personon said supporting member,two propelling wheels having respectively two transverse shaftsrespectively rotatable on said floats, two longitudinal. shaftsrotatable respectively in said bearing members and slidable therein, twogears secured to said crank shaft, two gears respectively'secured tosaid propeller wheel shafts, two gears respec= tively secured to saidlongitudinal shafts and. respectively meshing with the last named gears,and two gears respectively meshing with the gears oncsaid crank-shaftand rota-table with and longitudinally ad justable respectively on saidi longitudinal shafts. i V i In testimony whereof I have signed myrevise J, ottoman,

